The Opendays.com guide to gap years

Will deferring university affect your chances of a place and/or a good job? In most cases the
answer is no. In fact, many admissions tutors encourage students to take gap
years. There are a number of reasons for this:

Gap year students
are usually more broad-minded and confident, having made the decision to do
something different, discover a lot about themselves and meet new challenges.

Gap
year student have usually spent a some time away from home thus are more
independent and are used to handling finances.

A
gap year builds enthusiasm in a student, and they can be more committed to a
course.

[Some departments (mostly maths and chemistry) prefer students to come straight
from A-levels however. It is important to ask about this at open days]

THE BIG
PICTURE

'GAP YEARS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE'
Only 20% of students take gap years. In many cases, the reason for
not taking a gap year is because they are considered too expensive.
Some gap year organisations do require you to save thousands of pounds before
you travel. However, you have fifteen months from the time of finishing A-levels
to the time you start university. This means that you could work for a full year
and still travel for 3 months, which would put you in a very stable financial
position (working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 12 months at £5/hour =
£10,400).

GAP YEAR = GOOD JOB The
majority of students (80%) stay on the 'educational conveyor belt', moving from
A-levels to university to employment. Top employers will receive thousands of
applications for jobs. To get the job, you need to stand out from the crowd. A
gap year allows you to achieve this.
What did you do, why did you do it, and (most importantly) what did you achieve
from it? This could be the first topic of conversation in an interview. If you
make what you did sound interesting then you're already miles ahead of the
applicants who only put down 'I like to read', 'I enjoy sports' and 'I like to
socialise'. By taking a gap year, you can show character, determination,
financial planning and maturity. All of which are things that employers look
for.

THE GAP YEAR

WHERE TO GO
Where would you like to go? There are many gap year organisations in the UK,
with projects in areas all over the world. The Year Out Group is an association
of government accredited gap year organisations, check their web site and the
other links in the opendays.com links section.

WHAT TO DO
There are many
options, you can travel independently or with an organisation, work for money,
volunteer work, teach, learn a language, conservation work. You can basically do
what you want to do, but make sure that it is what you want to do, and
not what you think you should do.

WHEN TO DO IT You have 15 months of
holiday. If you want to go travelling for 3 months in summer, why not work for a
year before hand? Find out the best time to go, look into weather patterns and
research cheap airfares and accommodation.

Staying safe on your Gap Year

About 150,000 UK students aged between 17 and 25 who head off annually on a Gap year.
The majority of students travel independently but around 20,000 sign up with one
of the many gap year organisations.

The looming prospect of several years' tuition fees combined with the expense of a professionally organised gap year (several thousand pounds for a 3-month project or placement) has recently resulted in even more individuals heading off
on their own or with friends making safety a vital issue.

However, a Gap Year doesn't have to be all about jungles, mosquitos and full-moon parties: you can also have a great adventure travelling around Europe - check out the Inter Rail pass for an easy and quite affordable way of getting about the continent.

2. Equipment: If you are trekking, or even going by train, 65 litre Rucksack
will work best. Take a money belt. A pair of trekking boots and sports sandals are essential. A rape alarm and door lock are especially useful for girls.

ABOVE ALL
The most
important thing is planning. You will need to plan how you will earn your money,
how you will spend your money, how long it will take you to travel across
countries, when to book air flights, where to find places to stay etc... There
are many web sites and guide books to help you with all of these things (see the
links section).

TO SUM UP

You may only have
one chance in your life to take a year out. With proper planning, you could make
it the best year of your life, developing skills which will help you through
university and in the world of work.
To find out more information on gap years, visit the web sites listed in the
links section of opendays.com.

Open Days are your opportunity to get a feel for what life is like at BU and discover our courses and excellent placement and employment opportunities. You’ll also be able to find out more about student life and practical activities, as well as facility tours, may be available for some courses.

Our course open days are on Sunday 3 February, Saturday 9 March and Sunday 7 April, and with a health and social care open day on Saturday 9 March. They are the perfect place to get the information you need, and your questions answered, about studying at Sheffield Hallam University.

With a range of talks and tours you'll glimpse what life is like as a student here.

It's your chance to chat with students and staff about the course you're interested in, and also see our campuses, facilities and take a tour of the accommodation.

Deciding where to study is a big step, especially if you’re considering moving away from home. Being close to London, and with excellent transport links around the UK, we believe studying at Bedfordshire can make that transition a little easier.

Why attend an Open Day?

Speak to our academics about your course of interest

Take part in subject sessions

Take a tour of the campus and view our accommodation

Discover more about student support, careers and funding

Speak to staff for advice on the application process

You can also bring friends or family along with you too – the more the merrier!